Marvel is releasing the perfect comic companion to Avengers: Doomsday one month before the MCU movie’s release, with potential clues about its plot. Marvel Studios is executing a bold gamble by choosing to introduce the MCU’s Victor von Doom at the absolute peak of his power in Avengers: Doomsday. Even Thanos’ victory and subsequent defeat was gradually set up across multiple movies, whereas Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom debuts as a fully formed multiversal mastermind, dropped directly into his greatest quest, replacing Kang the Conqueror and his variants as the biggest threats to all of existence.

Both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars seem to be drawing heavily on Jonathan Hickman’s acclaimed Time Runs Out prelude and 2015 Secret Wars crossover event. Concepts like multiversal incursions, separate factions of desperate heroes from different teams joining forces with each other, and parallel worlds fighting each other for survival are taken directly from Marvel Comics’ mid-2010s multiversal extravaganza. Of course, the cast of characters is quite different, with the MCU’s main continuity and Fox’s X-Men universe taking the place of Marvel Comics’ original Ultimate Universe and Earth-616.

Marvel Studios rarely draws inspiration from one single comic book for its live-action adaptations, and Avengers: Doomsday may not be the exception.

Marvel Re-Releases Emperor Doom Just In Time For Avengers: Doomsday

Emperor Doom; Written By David Michelinie; Art By Bob Hall & Keith Williams

Marvel has announced that the fascimile edition of David Michelinie, Bob Hall, and Keith Williams’ 1987 crossover event Emperor Doom, releasing November 11, 2026, one month before Avengers: Doomsday‘s worldwide release date. David Michelinie’s 1987 comic Emperor Doom follows Doctor Doom’s quest to take over the globe using a captured Purple Man and a psycho-prism to control humanity’s every action. Despite removing virtually every hero and fellow villain from the picture, Wonder Man escapes Doom’s control and helps other heroes break free. Eventually, Doctor Doom willingly surrenders, admitting that being the ruler of the world is a hassle he didn’t predict.

Similarly, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credits scene teases a major change in Doctor Doom appearing to be interested in weaponizing Franklin Richards’ immense power by capturing him, similarly to how he turns Purple Man into a weapon. This tease contrasts with Secret Wars‘ God Emperor Doom, who receives the omnipotent power of the Beyonders after killing them by detonating the Molecule Men. While Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars might be the main source of inspiration for the MCU’s Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, Hickman’s crossover event itself is something of an adaptation of Marvel’s 1987 Emperor Doom.

Avengers: Doomsday May Draw A Lot Of Inspiration From Emperor Doom

Marvel Likely Won’t Adapt Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars One-To-One

Trailers and promotional material for Avengers: Doomsday strongly indicate that it’s pulling direct thematic inspiration from Emperor Doom, specifically placing Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor von Doom as a calculated ruler seeking total power. Instead of portraying him as a chaotic force of destruction, Marvel Studios has framed Doom as a supreme authority who bends multiple dimensions to his will, not only to solve the crisis of impending multiversal incursions, but also to satisfy his deep-seated wish for power. But looking beyond the confirmed information, Avengers: Doomsday is highly likely to adapt Emperor Doom’s most shocking twist regarding the sheer psychological burden of absolute rule.

Avengers: Doomsday could translate Doom’s fatigue to a multiversal scale. After successfully manipulating the heroes into complying with his multiversal defense plans and possibly creating a live-action Battleworld in Avengers: Secret Wars, a victorious Doom might realize that micromanaging a fragile colliding multiverse is an impossible, thankless chore. Besides realizing that Reed Richards could have done a better job at protecting the multiverse, Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom may also realize he never really wanted to be God Emperor in the first place.

Which comics do you think Avengers: Doomsday will adapt?

Emperor Doom fascimile edition is available November 11 from Marvel Comics

Release Date

December 18, 2026

Runtime

165 Minutes

• 

• 

  Vanessa Kirby

  Sue Storm / Invisible Woman

• 

  Johnny Storm / Human Torch

• 

  Ebon Moss-Bachrach

  Ben Grimm / The Thing